Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/579724
8 OCTOBER2015 Inhalation inhaler, RDD organizers and Vir- ginia Commonwealth University were honored to recognize the con- tribution of Charlie Thiel to the development of the MDI, creating the "Charles G. Thiel Award," to be presented at future RDD meetings in the US. For RDD 2008, the editorial team expanded to include Julie Suman and Paul Young, with an efficient, proprietary, online submission, review and publication manage- ment process. Twenty years of RDD meetings had yielded a legacy of 1,253 cutting edge presentations (now 2,041) that could be down- loaded with a few clicks! Also in 2008, the organizers teamed with ISAM for a special session on the impact of mucociliary clearance on inhaled drug development. The "twofer" approach was again evident at RDD 2010, presenting with the Product Quality Research Institute about the potential for pharmacoki- netics to serve as the sole in vivo met- ric necessary to support a finding of b i o e q u i v a l e n c e ( B E ) b e t w e e n inhaled products. Speakers were joined in debate by FDA experts. Due to PQRI sponsorship, the ses- sion was audio-recorded and made available online. New faces and companies at RDD meetings created a need for a cur- rent, introductory textbook, so RDD Online worked with Steve Newman to publish Respiratory Drug Delivery: Essential Theory and Practice, which coordinated with a web-based training program. At RDD 2012, delegates could choose proceedings in book format or via a custom mobile website and Daniela Traini joined the editorial team. To meet increasing interest from Asia, a senior Chinese State Food and Drug Administration official addressed regulatory requirements for inhalers in China and his paper was pub- lished in both Chinese and English. RDD has since continued to pro- vide a forum for non-English speak- e r s . R D D 2 0 1 4 c o n v e n e d i n Fajardo, Puerto Rico and attracted delegates from 29 countries. The conference included an expanded Posters on the Podium session. Approximately 80% of attendees reported working for pharmaceuti- cal companies or suppliers and 20% were from academia and regulatory authorities. The first RDD Asia To make RDD more accessible to those in Asia and reduce their travel time, Respiratory Drug Delivery Asia was presented for the first time in 2014. The meeting is jointly managed by RDD Online and Aptar Pharma. Held in November in Goa, India, it was deliberately shorter to keep registration costs affordable, but maintained state-of- the-art presentations, a plenary lec- ture by Steve Newman, workshops, posters and a technology exhibition. The highly successful, Asia-centric conference attracted 220 partici- pants from 17 countries. Though modest by the standards of recent US and European RDD meetings, RDD Asia 2014 was three times the size of the first RDD meeting in 1988 and appropriately recognized Asia's emergence as an engine of inhaled and nasal pharmaceutical development and patient care. The Tenth Anniversary RDD Europe RDD Europe celebrated its tenth anniversary in May 2015 in Antibes, France, hosting 450 delegates from 31 countries; 61% from Europe, 23% from North America and 16% from the rest of the world's aerosol community. The conference pro- vided 22 speakers, 65 scientific poster presenters (a record number) and Posters on the Podium. In addition, 12 of RDD Europe's signature interactive workshops were offered, enabling each attendee to attend three presentations of their choice. The relaxed atmosphere of the conference enabled delegates to view posters and the technology exhibit in conjunction with net- working lunches. A gala anniversary celebration dinner was also spon- sored by Aptar Pharma. "Aptar Pharma is particularly proud of supporting, and being affiliated with, this major conference. The successful outcome of this tenth anniversary of RDD Europe and feedback from the delegates are a source of great satisfaction for all those involved," stated Pierre Car- lotti, Vice President Marketing and Communication at Aptar Pharma, Prescription, and Conference Coor- dinator at RDD Europe. "The qual- ity of the contributions this year was outstanding, reflecting major advances in our industry and the importance of this conference, which brings together key players in the respiratory drug delivery sector," added Dr. Richard Dalby, one of the organizers from the University of Maryland. Future meetings It's no secret where the next meet- ings will be: • Respiratory Drug Delivery (RDD) 2016 will be held in Phoenix, Ari- zona, April 17-21, 2016. IPAC-RS will host a coordinated symposium related to "Meeting the Quality Challenge for Orally Inhaled Drug Products" on April 21-22. • RDD Asia 2016 will return to Goa, India, November 9-11, 2016. • RDD Europe 2017 will again be held in Nice (Antibes), France, April 25-28, 2017. F o r i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t p a s t a n d upcoming conferences, as well as a vari- ety of resources offered by RDD Online, see www.rddonline.com. Richard Dalby, PhD is Professor and Associate Dean, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and Conference Co- organizer for RDD meetings. Pierre Car- lotti is Vice President Marketing and Communication at Aptar Pharma, Pre- scription, and is Conference Coordinator at RDD Europe.